BREAK THE CYCLE 15 CONFERENCE

APRIL 20-21 2020

ONLY ONLINE

keynote speakers: Dr Benard Dreyer, Dr. Sacoby Wilson

Break the Cycle of Health Disparities

A Consortium on Social, Economic and Environmental Determinants of Health

BCHD is a non-profit established to address the health, environmental, socio-economic, and ecological disparities of health for children living under adverse social and economic circumstances in communities, including young/emerging adults, women, and those living in disadvantaged circumstances in particular those with developmental disabilities by:​​

Developing a better understanding of the relationship between social and economic disadvantage and prevalence and severity of poor health outcomes

Supporting and developing programs that will improve the situation for communities with poor health outcomes

Supporting and coordinating research in promotion of health related to environmental circumstances and factors

The program offers a broad look at the relationship between social and economic disadvantage and developmental disabilities and other chronic medical conditions.

Break the Cycle is a multidisciplinary academic program that focuses on cultivating future leaders in all academic fields that have an impact on the social, economic and environmental determinants of health.

Roy Reese, Lilly Immergluck and Leslie Rubin, founders of Break the Cycle of Health Disparities, a Consortium on Social, Economic and Environmental Determinants of Health

Background:

The threats to children’s health and well-being are often multiple and complex.
Children are at greater risk for adverse environmental factors because they are growing and developing.

Today, health concerns for children, such as asthma, obesity and its complications of hypertension and diabetes, and neurodevelopmental disorders are often caused or exacerbated by environmental factors.

This is a challenge, not only at an individual level, but also at the level of the family and community and, ultimately, it also has an impact on society in terms of the potential loss of human potential, the need for prevention and management strategies, and the utilization of resources of necessary resource to promote health. Additionally, there is a societal impact in terms of the cultivation of its future citizens, workforce, and leaders.

Children who grow up in an environment of social and economic disadvantage are at greater risk for exposure to toxins like lead and other chemicals.

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They are impacted by the age and quality of the houses in which they live as well as the schools where they learn, the infrastructure of the communities in which they live, the risks of violence that they may experience, and the associated emotional stress that they face on a day to day basis.

The vulnerability of these children is therefore greater by virtue of their risks for exposure, magnified further by limitations in support for optimal education, access to quality health care, infrastructure, and limited social capital.

The impact can be greater because the risks are often cumulative resulting in health disparities.​

Each year, students and faculty from a variety of colleges and universities participate in developing projects that will Break the Cycle of Children’s Environmental Health Disparities to promote health equity for all children.

The students present their projects at a national conference and the results are published in international journals. Over the past 12 years Break the Cycle has engaged over 100 students from 30 universities in 10 states in the USA as well as from Latin America, Africa and Europe that have resulted in the publication of 9 international journal supplements.

This set of projects also forms the basis for a book series on Public Health topics.

The Break the Cycle Program received the 2016 Children’s Environmental Health Excellence Award from the US Environmental Protection Agency in Washington DC on Children’s Environmental Health Day October 13, 2016.

Purpose:

The purpose of BCHD is to reduce health disparities that are caused by socioeconomic and ecological factors that adversely affect children and families burdened by lower socioeconomic circumstances.

BCHD seeks to achieve the following:

Develop a better understanding of the impact of social and economic disadvantage on health status with a focus on health disparities.

Provide education and guidance to students and post graduate learners who are involved in social, economic, and environmental determinants of health.

Develop, implement and evaluate programs that will improve health status among the underserved by impacting modifiable social determinants of health.

Support research activities that promote positive health by improving environmental health.

Positively influence the delivery of health care while training health care professionals to work in underserved and disadvantaged communities.

Summary:

BCHD plans to focus the above described research program to reduce the health disparities experienced by children and their families who are adversely affected by their social, economic and environmental circumstances.​

We have established a Facebook group to offer an opportunity for members of the Break the Cycle community to communicate information, experiences, ideas, and thoughts on Break the Cycle Projects. We look forward to this unique forum for learning about past, current, and especially future projects directed at reducing children's environmental health disparities.